Rescuing device for sunken ships



A ril 5,1927. 1,623,148.

H. 8. WILSON RESIGUING DEVICE FOR SUNKEN SHIPS Filed Jan/9. 1926 2. Sheets-Sheet 1 In; r, n V 4 n:

Inventor Attorney I 1,623,148 Aprll 5 1927- H, 5. WILSON I nsscume DEVICE FOR SUNKEN SHIPS :Fiied Jan.9.' 1926 zsneets-shee't 2 M760 LS, 71 678077,

Patented .Apr. 5, 1927.

UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY S. WILSON, OF HIGH ROCK, PENNSYLVANIA.

RESCUING DEVICE FOR SUNKEN SHIPS.

Application filed January 9, 1926. Serial No. 80,261.

This invention relates to a rescuing device for sunken ships, and has for its primary object to provide meanswhereby persons entrapped within sunken ships, such as submarines and the like, may be removed therefrom, and this especially in the event the ships have ,not become entirel filled with water which is usually the case in ships of the submarine and other similar designs.

- A further and important object is to provide such a rescuing device that may be em- I tion, and the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings wherein like'reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in cross section of a rescuing device constructed in accordance with the present invention, the same being shown as in actual use.

Figure 2 is a detail vertical section of the diving unit of the device.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section taken substantially upon the line 33 of Figure 2, and I Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the lower compartment of said unit.

In carrying out my invention, a vessel A with which my device may be employed in" rescuing the passengers and crew therefrom must be provided in its upper deck with a circular hatch opening 5 that'is normally closed and this in a water tight manner through the medium of a door 6, which is hinged at 7 and is secured in closed position through medium of any exteriorly controlled locking means such as is shown at 8. This door 6 is also provided with a relatively small threaded opening within which is a threaded plug 9 removable from the outer side thereof. Said hatch opening is also" provided at its upper outer edge with a tiaring guide flange 10 for a purpose hereinafter more fully described.

The deck of the ship A is provided at diametrically opposed sides-0t the hatch opening with pivoted pulleys 11ll also for a purpose hereinafter more fully described. Y

My novel rescuing device further constitutes the provision of a diving and crew and passenger elevating unit 12 that consists ofa relatively large and substantially oval shaped housing 13 of sheet metal suitably interiorly reinforced as shown in Figure 2 in order that the same will withstand great pressures encountered beneath the surface of the water. The lower end of the housing 13 is of plane configuration and is equipped with an interiorly opening normally closed door. 14.

Rigidly secured to the lower plane end a of the housing 13 is a circularmetallic chamber 15 open at its upper end and access to which may be gained through the door '14 in the lower end of the housing 13, shown in Figure 2. v

The bottom wall of the chamber 15 is provided with an opening that is normally closed through themedium of a. hinged interiorly swinging door 16 normally main tained in closed water tight position, said bottom wall ofthe chamber being provided with a packing ring 17 that surrounds said opening and saiddoor 16, as shown more clearly in Figures 2 and i.

The housing 13 is provided with a water tight entrance door 18, and is adapted to be raised and lowered from a vessel upon the surface of the water through medium of a chain 19. Furthermore, suitable telephonic communication may be established between the housing 13 andsaid vessel upon the surface of the water, and also suitable lighting means may be provided within the housing together with means for supplying air to the interior thereof and carrying the foul air therefrom. However all these features may be of conventional arrangement, and are therefore not disclosed in the drawings.

In actual use, cables BB are passed through eyelet members cc; dd, respectively, upon opposed sides ofthe housing 13 and chamber 15, after which the same are carried downward beneath the surface of the water to the sunken vessel A by divers in conventional diving outfits. These cables then extend around the pulleys 111l and thence brought upwardly and attached to the device as clearly shown in Figure 1. Before the device is submerged, the rescuing party or person enters'the housing 13 by reason of the door 18 after which the same is shut and locked. Then the device is allowed to submerge, being guided to the vessel A through reason of the cables BB. The chamber will be guided onto the hatch 5 through reason of the flange 10 and water will be prevented from passing therebetween through reason of the packing ring 17. If desired, a diver may be sent down, and the device may be secured to the vessel by chains, cables, or the like, suitable attaching means 20 and 21 being provided upon the chamber 15 and deck of the vessel A. The doors 14 and 16 of the housing and chamber 13and 15 respectively are then opened, after which the plug 9 from the hatch door may be removed to ascertain whether or not the vessel is completely filled with water in which event the crew and passengers there n will be deceased and further efforts would thus be useless.

In the event that water does not discharge through the opening in the hatch cover,

said hatch cover is then raised, after which an entrance into the vessel may be made by the rescuing party. The persons located within the vessel could be carried into the rescuing unit 12 and then elevated to safety.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a highly novel, simple, and elfioient form of rescuing device that is well adapted ,for all the purposes designated. Even though I have herein shown and described my derice as comprising certain structural elements, it is nevertheless to be understoodthat minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirlt or scope opening, a rescuing unit comprising a watertight metallic housing for receiving the rescuing party, an inwardly swinging door in the lower portion of the housing, a circular chamber secured to the bottom of the housing and adapted to have communication therewith through the medium of said door, an inwardly swinging door in the lower side of said chamber, eye members arranged on opposite sides of the housing and chamber respectively, and cables for moving the unit downwardly within the water to position over the hatch opening of the sunken ship so that the bottom of the chamber will be disposed in said flaring guide flange, said cables being attached at one end to the lowermost pair of eye members, the cables extending around the pulleys and upwardly through the eye members, and a hoist chain associated with the top of the housing to permit the same to be raised to the surface of the water.

In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature. HARRY S. WILSON.

my invention, what 

